(PRLEAP.COM) The “12-Year Pagoda Cycle Models” project is set to build 12 models of pagodas representing each year of the 12-year animal cycle so the public may pay homage at the comfort of their own place to pray for good health and luck. Some even believe that whenever worshippers buy a farm, their spirit will be guided by good karma to the places they reserve.

“Parts of the proceeds are scheduled to be given to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej for his personal use at his own discretion and some will be donated to Wat Prabat Nampoo in Lopburi province to provide medical care necessary to cure HIV-infected patients while there will also be part to be spent to maintain the good condition of the pagodas across the country and beyond. Only for this occasion, the number of model pagodas will be built based on donors’ orders,” said Phra Udomprachathorn, the abbot of Wat Phrabath Namphu.

“The Dramaraksa Foundation will celebrate its 15th anniversary this year. On this auspicious occasion, I wish to put up a 400-bed Dramaraksa Hospital inside of the 2nd Dramarakniwesana Project compound in Nong Maung district, Lopburi province, to provide free medical services to monks and HIV-infected patients,” he added.

For more information and reservation for 12-Year Pagoda Cycle models, please contact: Coordination Office for 12 Year Pagoda Cycle Models Project. Tel: 1188 or (66) 085-4865707-16 Fax: (66) 02-417-1299 e-mail: jd12year@gmail.com

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Note on “Birth Year Pagoda Worshipping”Mythography
The belief in the Birth-Year Pagoda Worshipping is not part of Buddhist dharma but is generally practiced by the people of Lanna, an ancient kingdom located in northern Thailand. There is no concrete evidence on the origin of this folklore but it has been documented in several inscriptions related to the city’s legend. In summary, it is written that before a spirit is born as human; it is guided by Tau
Paungs (guardian animals) to wait at one of the pagodas, which each representing the year of their birth. When it is time, the spirit leaves the pagoda for his father’s vertex and resides there for seven days before entering the other’s womb. Therefore, when people die, their spirit will return to the place they came from.


Thus, all physically fit individuals are advised to make a pilgrimage at least once in a lifetime to pay homage to their birth year pagodas. This is believed to bring them prosperity and long life, including spiritual guidance to a place where they are from. This belief had then spread to other parts of Thailand and was altered widely to fit a particularly community’s ways of life. In Nakhon Phranom province in Northeastern of Thailand, several folks worship pagodas associated with the day of their birth.

From an academic point of view, it is the wisdom of the people of Lanna that intelligently blended the Buddhist dogma with their local belief by teaching children to pay homage to specific pagoda because traveling across countries in the past was difficult and dangerous. Thus, sticking with a particular pagoda is enough for ones’ soul. And all the journeys must be a worthy visit. Whenever a pilgrim buys a farm, they will recall visionary deeds. With the height of the pagoda images emerging in vision, a feeling of joy will come. And this may lead them to the path to eternal happiness.

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About Wat Phrabaht Namphu
The Dramaraksa Foundation, established in 1992, is one of the important organizations of Wat Prabath Nampoo currently run by Abbot Phra Udomprachathorn. It aims to provide medical aids necessary to help HIV-infected patients and provide homes to orphans. The foundation currently shelters 400 patients suffering from AIDS and 1,500 orphans.

For 15 years, Phra Udomprachathorn has devoted himself full-time to help AIDS victims. The Dramaraksa Foundation itself is a well-known non-profit organization which is among the world’s leading charity foundations related to AIDS research and serves as the world’s largest educational institution for HIV study.

It currently has medical care and administration expenses of around four million baht per month which comes from donations. Despite funding constraints, Phra Udomprachathorn, with his kind heart, continues to supports people afflicted with AIDS by initiating several important projects that give hope to people. The second Dramarakniwesana Project in Nong Maung district of Lopburi province, Pracharatchnukrau School 33, Dramarak Kindergarten and Dramarak Thai Medical School are just among the successful projects undertaken.

The foundation will celebrate its 15th anniversary this year. On this occasion, Phra Udomprachathorn is planning to build a 400-bed Dramarak Hospital inside of the 2nd Dramaraksaniwesana Project compound in Nong Maung district of Lopburi province to give monks and underprivileged elderly citizens free medical-care services.